1. Field of the Invention
The humidifier is for use with an air system and is especially adapted for installation on a forced air furnace.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The effective distribution of water to the evaporator pad of a humidifier is an important consideration in the design of the humidifier. It is highly desirable that the water be uniformly disbursed over the entire pad area. It is also desirable that the distribution of the water remain uniform despite slight errors in the mounting of the humidifier. The humidifier should be mounted in a perfectly level position although such a condition is not always achieved in practice. The water distribution means must be capable of providing substantially uniform distribution of the water to the evaporator pad even though the humidifier is not perfectly level.
Humidifiers for use with an air system such as a forced air furnace is shown in several expired patents assigned to the assignee of record including the Engel, U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,470, issued Aug. 17, 1976; Kozinski, U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,576 issued Nov. 14, 1978 and the Yeagle U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,679 issued Jun. 19, 1979. Such prior art patents include and describe the use of water distribution troughs which are mounted directly above the evaporator pad and ensure that the water is uniformly distributed to the evaporator pad. With such prior art humidifiers, it is difficult and time consuming to access the evaporator pads and the water distribution troughs. The present invention solves that problem by providing a humidifier with a swingable cover which is easy to open and close.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a humidifier with a swingable cover which is adapted to be connected to an air system comprising a unitary cabinet having a rear wall, a front wall, a pair of side walls, a bottom wall and a drain sump defined in part by said walls and located at the bottom of the cabinet.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a humidifier of the aforementioned type wherein a swingable cover is attached to the cabinet at the front and near the bottom thereof and is designed to open and close the cabinet.
Still another feature of the present invention is to provide a humidifier of the aforementioned type wherein the cabinet is provided with retainer ears on the outer surfaces of the side walls near the top thereof and an evaporator pad is mounted in the cabinet adjacent and parallel to the rear wall. With such a construction, a water distribution trough is disposed in the interior of the cabinet adjacent the rear wall and is located above the evaporator pad for providing a substantially uniformly distributed flow of water to the evaporator pad.
A further feature of the present invention is to provide a humidifier of the aforementioned type wherein a pair of mounting elements are provided on the inner surfaces of the side walls of the cabinet near the bottom thereof and the swingable cover at the bottom end is provided with a pair of bearing portions which are engageable with and pivotally mounted on the mounting elements.
A still further feature of the present invention is to provide a humidifier of the aforementioned type wherein fastening means are secured to the sides at the top end of the cover and are engageable with the retainer ears when the cabinet is closed, with the cover when the fastening means are disengaged from the retainer ears being swingable relative to the mounting element for opening the cover to permit access to the evaporator pad and trough and to the interior of the cabinet.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a humidifier of the aforementioned type wherein the rear wall is provided with an opening which is adapted to be connected to the warm or return air plenum of the forced air furnace.
Still another feature of the present invention is to provide a humidifier of the aforementioned type wherein a pair of openings are provided in the side walls, with one opening in one side wall being adapted to be connected to the warm or return air plenum and a bypass cover being removably located in the other opening of the other side wall for closing same. With such a construction the humidifier may be mounted for either a left hand or right hand bypass connection.
A further feature of the present invention is to provide a humidifier of the aforementioned type wherein the bypass cover is provided with a pair of brackets which are engageable with portions of the side wall in which the cover is inserted for retaining the bypass cover in the opening thereby closing same.
A still further feature of the present invention is to provide a humidifier of the aforementioned type wherein an opening is provided in the cover near the top end thereof, said opening having a first dimension and a second dimension and a solenoid valve having a mounting element insertable into said cover opening and thereafter rotatable in said cover opening 900 to locate and to lock the solenoid valve on the cover.
The use of the swingable cover has many advantages in that it permits easy access to the evaporator pad even if the cover is obstructed. Also, the cover may be closed due to the snap action mechanism provided on the top end of the cover which is engageable with the retaining elements provided on the cabinet. In addition, only xc2xc or 90xc2x0 turn of the solenoid valve is required to remove it from the cabinet so that the valve may be serviced or repaired. Further, the cabinet may be opened by swinging the cover about the bearing means without removing the wires to which the valve is attached or removing the water line. In addition, no tools or fasteners are required to install or to remove the bypass cover from the opening in the cabinet.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a humidifier of the aforementioned type which is simple in construction, is economical to manufacture and is efficient in operation.